Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at the launch of ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ke Ore’ programme
Namaste, Om Shanti!
Present with us in the program are Speaker of Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla ji, Governor of Rajasthan Shri Kalraj Mishra ji, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Ashok Gehlot ji, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet Shri Kishan Reddy ji, Bhupender Yadav ji, Arjun Ram Meghwal ji, Parshottam Rupala ji, and Shri Kailash Choudhary ji, Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Shri Gulab Chand Kataria ji, Executive Secretary of Brahma Kumaris Rajyogi Mruthyunjaya ji, Rajyogini sister Mohini ji, sister Chandrika ji, all others sisters of Brahma Kumaris, ladies and gentlemen and all the yogis!
There are some places that have a different consciousness of their own, a different flow of energy of their own! This energy belongs to those great personalities, through whose penance forests, mountains and hills also get awakened and they become the center of human inspiration. Mount Abu's aura has also been continuously growing due to Dada Lekhraj and many other accomplished personalities like him.
Today, the Brahma Kumaris Sanstha is starting a huge campaign from the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom towards a golden India from this holy place. It has the spirit of golden India as well as spiritualism. There is the inspiration for the country as well as the efforts of Brahma Kumaris.
I congratulate the Brahma Kumari family very much for being constantly associated with the dreams and resolutions of the country. Dadi Janaki and Rajyogini Dadi Hriday Mohini ji are not amongst us. They had great affection for me. I can experience their blessings at today's event.
Friends,
When there is a confluence of ‘sadhana’ and resolve, when the feeling of motherhood gets connected with the human being, when there is the feeling of 'इदं न मम्'  in our personal achievements, then there is an emergence of a new period, new dawn through our resolves. This virtuous spirit of service and sacrifice is emerging for the new India in the Amrit Mahotsav today. With this spirit of sacrifice and duty, crores of countrymen are laying the foundation of Golden India today.
Our dreams and the nation's dreams are no different; our personal and national successes are no different. Our progress lies in the progress of the nation. The nation exists from us and we exist from the nation. This realization is becoming the biggest strength of Indians in the making of a new India.
‘Sabka Prayas’  is involved in what the country is doing today. 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas' is becoming the basic mantra of the country. Today we are developing a system where there is no place for discrimination, we are creating a society that is firmly rooted in the foundation of equality and social justice and we are seeing the emergence of an India whose thinking and approach is new and whose decisions are progressive.
Friends,
India's biggest strength is that it maintains its original character no matter what the situation is and the pall of gloom. Our age-old history is witness to this. When the world was in deep darkness and caught in the old thinking about women, then India used to worship women as Maatri Shakti and Goddess. We had women scholars like Gargi, Maitreyi, Anusuya, Arundhati and Madalasa giving knowledge to society. Even in the troubled medieval times, there were great women like Panna Dai and Mirabai in this country. And when the nation is remembering the history of the freedom struggle during the Amrit Mahotsav, there are so many women who have sacrificed themselves. Immortals like Kittur's Rani Chennamma, Matangini Hazra, Rani Lakshmibai, Veerangana Jhalkari Bai to Ahilyabai Holkar and Savitribai Phule in the social sphere maintained India's identity.
Today the nation is remembering the contribution of women’s power in the freedom struggle along with lakhs of freedom fighters, and trying to fulfill their dreams. Therefore, the daughters are realizing their dreams of studying in Sainik Schools and now any daughter of the country can go to the army for the defence of the nation and undertake important responsibilities. Decisions like increasing maternity leave have also been made so that both the life and career of women can continue uninterrupted.
The participation of women in the country's democracy is also increasing. We saw how more women voted than men in the 2019 elections. Today, women ministers are handling important responsibilities in the government of the country. And importantly, society itself is leading this change. According to recent data, the sex ratio has improved in the country after several years due to the success of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign. These changes indicate what the new India will be like and how powerful it will be.
Friends,
All of you are aware that our sages have invoked 'तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय, मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय' in the Upanishads. That is, we move from darkness to light, from death, troubles to nectar. The ‘Amrit’  and the path to immortality do not illuminate without knowledge. Therefore, this virtuous period is the time for our knowledge, research and innovation. We have to build an India which will be rooted in ancient traditions and heritage and will also expand to infinity in modernity. We have to keep alive our culture, civilization and values, preserve and promote our spirituality and diversity, and at the same time, continuously modernize the systems of technology, infrastructure, education and health.
Spiritual institutions like Brahma Kumaris have a big role in these efforts of the country. I am glad that you are doing great work in many fields like education, health and agriculture besides spirituality. And the campaign that you are launching today will take it forward. You have also set many goals for Amrit Mahotsav. Your efforts will surely give new energy and strength to the country.
Today, the country is making efforts towards organic farming and natural farming to make farmers prosperous and self-reliant. Our Brahma Kumari sisters constantly make society aware of the purity of food and drink. But for a quality diet, quality product is also necessary. Therefore, Brahma Kumaris can become a great inspiration for promoting natural farming. Such models can be created by inspiring some villages.
Similarly, the world has high expectations from India in the field of clean energy and the environment too. Many alternatives to clean energy are being developed today. There is also a need for a massive campaign for public awareness regarding this. The Brahma Kumaris have set an example in the field of solar power. Food is being cooked in the kitchen of your ashram with solar power for so long. You can also contribute a lot so that more people start using solar power. Similarly, you can also give impetus to the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ campaign. The campaign for ‘Vocal for Local’ can be helped by prioritizing local products.
Friends,
The time of ‘Amrit Kaal’  is not for dreaming while sleeping, but for fulfilling resolutions while remaining awake. The coming 25 years are the period of hard work, sacrifice, austerity and penance. This is a period of 25 years to reclaim what our society has lost in hundreds of years of slavery. Therefore, our focus should be on the future during this Amrit Mahotsav of freedom.
Friends,
There is phenomenal potential in our society. This is a society in which there is an abiding old and constantly new system. However, no one can deny that with time some evils do creep into the individual as well as in the society and also in the country. Those who realize these evils while being agile succeed in steering clear of these evils. Such people can achieve every goal in their life. Such is the strength of our society that it also has vastness and diversity and also has the experience of the journey of thousands of years. Therefore, there is an unlike power, an inner strength, to mold oneself with the changing era in our society.
The considerable strength of our society is that reformers are born from time to time and they confront the evils prevailing in the society. We have also seen that such people often have to face opposition and disdain in the early years of social reforms. But such accomplished people do not shy away from social reforms and remain determined. With time, society also recognizes them, respects them and imbibes their teachings.
Therefore friends,
It is imperative and it is a continuous process to keep the society unblemished and agile on the basis of the values of the period of every era. The generation of that period has to fulfill this responsibility. Individually as well as lakhs of organizations like Brahma Kumaris are doing this work. At the same time, we also have to admit that in the 75 years after Independence, a malaise has afflicted our society, our nation and all of us. It is that we turned away from our duties and did not give them primacy. In the last 75 years, we only kept talking about rights, fighting for rights and wasting our time. The issue of rights may be right to some extent in certain circumstances, but neglecting one's duties completely has played a huge role in keeping India vulnerable.
India lost considerable time because duties were not accorded priority. We can make up for the gap which has been created due to primacy about rights while keeping duties at bay in these 75 years by discharging duties in the next 25 years.
Organizations like Brahma Kumaris can bring about a big change by making the people of India aware of their duties as a mantra for the next 25 years. I urge Brahma Kumaris and all the social organizations like you to work on this one mantra and that is to spread the sense of duty among the citizens of the country. All of you must spend your energy and time on awakening the sense of duty among the people. And organizations like Brahma Kumaris which have been following the path of duty for decades can do this. You are the people who are committed to duties and abide by duties. Therefore, it will be your best gift to the country during this Amrit Mahotsav of freedom if you can spread the sense of duty, the spirit with which you work in your organization, among the people, in the society and the nation.
You must have heard a story. There was darkness in a room and people were doing different things in their own way to end that darkness. Everybody was doing something or the other. But when a wise man lit a small lamp, the darkness immediately disappeared. Such is the power of duty. So is the power of even a small effort. We all have to light a lamp in the heart of every citizen of the country – the lamp of duty.
If we can take the country forward on the path of duty together, then the evils prevailing in the society will also be banished and the country will also reach new heights. There will be no person who loves the land of India and who considers this land as mother who does not want to take the country to new heights, does not want to bring happiness in the lives of many people. Therefore, we will have to put emphasis on duties.
Friends,
I want to raise another topic in this program. You all have been witness to attempts being made to tarnish the image of India. There is a lot going on at the international level as well. We cannot wash our hands off by saying that this is just politics. This is not politics; this is the question of our country. And when we are celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom, it is also our responsibility that the world should know India in its true form.
Such organizations, which have a presence in many countries of the world, should present the right image of India to the people of other countries, tell the truth about the rumors being spread about India and make them aware. This is also the responsibility of all of us. Organizations like Brahma Kumaris can make another effort to take this forward. In the countries where you have branches, you should try that every year at least 500 people from every branch should visit and know India. And these 500 people should be citizens of that country and not the people of India who are living there. I am not talking about native Indians. You will see that if people start coming here and seeing the country and understanding everything, then the virtues of India will automatically be spread in the world. Your efforts can make a huge difference.
Friends,
Everyone has the desire to do charity. But we should not forget one thing that when charity join with a meaning , then successful life, successful society, and successful nation can be built automatically. The responsibility of this harmony of charity and meaning has always been with the spiritual authority of India. I am sure that all of you sisters, the spiritual beings of India, will fulfill this responsibility with maturity. Your efforts will inspire other institutions and organizations of the country to create new goals in the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom. The strength of Amrit Mahotsav is the soul and dedication of the people. With your efforts, India will move towards a golden India at an even faster pace in the future.
With this belief, many thanks to all of you!
Om Shanti!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.